How Truly Successful Businesses Really Operate

Success in business is measured by a variety of different attributes. Success can mean hitting a specific profit margin or any number of other performance goals. But no matter how you measure success within your business, you need the right people to help you achieve those goals. At one time, the notion of success was dedicated to the idea that you had to have a sole leader in position to drive the team to their goals. However, this notion is no longer an option for most businesses. 

Why Has the Sole Leader Goal Diminished?

The truth is, if you hedge your success on the back of one individual, you run the risk of over burdening that one, singular person to the point of them falling away. When that happens, it can send your once successful business into a total tailspin and lead to ultimate defeat and destruction. That one person can leave at any time leaving your business vulnerable. The better solution to a long running business strategy and ultimate, limitless success is by empowering your entire team to boost the success of the business. Without the format relying on one individual, the workload is extended among many to avoid burnout and keep the business operating effectively should any talent leave the business. 

Evaluation of Your Team

You cannot do everything yourself and finding the right people for your team is essential. You may have already invested time and effort into building a high performing team, but an evaluation of your existing team is key. Evaluating your team can involve some key considerations related to your business. These include:

• Does your team have clear direction and well thought out business objectives?
• How closely do you work together to achieve those objectives – is there collective accountability?
• Are there areas where performance improvements are necessary and what plans are in place to affect these improvements?

Your team must find a way to communicate effectively and in a way that fosters engagement from each individual to ultimately empower the team as a whole. 

What Effective Teams Need!

Effective teams throughout the world have followed a standard format that seems to work no matter what area of business you are a part of. Essentially, you want to have a collective goal in mind and purpose for all, performance goals in place, and a shared approach to achieving your goals with your team. 

Characteristics of an Effective Team

Business changes, but characteristics of a truly successful team do not. A successful team is comprised of specific characteristics that set them apart from every day, average, teams of other companies. Some to these distinguishing characteristics are…

• An exceptional performance and an interest in outperforming previous expectations
• Enthusiasm and energy and passion across the board
• An interest in overcoming odds and hurdles that get in the way
• Always willing to go the extra mile
• Find humour and fun in activities

A well put together team is courageous and sees themselves as essential agents of change. Your team should believe in both itself and the people surrounding it and be driven by strong values. Lifelong learners make excellent team members as they are visionaries that can cope with change and complex situations without breaking down. 

Where it is important to have leaders throughout your team, no one should lead all the time. Leadership is not defined as the one in charge but should be looked at as doing the right thing. Taking initiative and responsibility, developing others to take on leadership roles, being self-aware of both strengths and weaknesses are all key. Regularly engage with others within the team to collaborate and bring the goal to fruition underpins success.

Replacing the Heroic Superhero

The old format of one leader for the team can be something difficult to break away from but is an essential element in fuelling your business for ultimate success. When building your team, ask important questions of everyone. Why is the team member there? What value they bring to the table, and how are they going to be influential in promoting success of the company as a whole?

These questions will help you shift the focus from the individual superstar and begin to promote a commonality among team members where everyone is included and has a specific purpose within the group. Change can be uncomfortable, and you will find those resistant to change will fall away. That is not necessarily a bad thing. A high-performance team will…

• Have passion about their collective purpose
• Enjoy with team colleagues and have interest in the success of others within the group
• Maintain a true sense of partnership with one another and others involved in the company including stakeholders and board members
• Look as setbacks as a way of learning and not in the traditional negative format

A high-performance transformational team is the way to bolster success and achieve your business   goals and optimise potential. 

If you need help enhance your team performance and collective endeavour, team coaching could be the key to unlocking the potential in your team – creating greater ownership and accountability to enhance performance and results!

Get in touch to arrange a consultation today.

Debbie Taylor